Jacquees

Jacquees was born on April 15, 1994, in Decatur, a city in the state of Georgia. He was raised there along with his brothers and sisters.

At the age of nine, he discovered his passion for singing and dancing, after being influenced by the music of the Jacksons and the Temptations. However, he didn't listen to their music at first; instead, he was affected by the biographical television mini-series 'The Jacksons: An American Dream' and 'The Temptations'. The musical drama film, 'The Five Heartbeats', also influenced him as a child.

He mastered his craft all by himself, with enough practice, and never had a vocal coach. Apart from singing, he also started writing songs, sometimes with his friends, when he was only 12.

He grew up listening to R&B and hip-hop stars like Usher, Ginuwine, R. Kelly, Jodeci, Boyz II Men and Hot Boys. He also listened to a lot of classic music from Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye as his mother loved those songs.

Jacquees, who would often sing while watching the movies, received encouragement from his family and relatives. When he was in the fifth grade, he took part in a talent show for the first time at Canby Lane Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. He secured 1st place by performing Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back'.

Jacquees started his professional career in 2007, when he was introduced to Orlando Grind, who later became his manager. Soon after, he caught the attention of Dexx Lee and J. Sims.

He initially performed at local talent shows. Eventually, Orlando introduced him to Russell 'Block' Spencer, founder and CEO of 'Block Entertainment'. He started by working behind the scenes in the rap projects in which Block was working on at the time.

He got the opportunity to express his true talents only after Block shifted his focus to R&B and witnessed how talented he was. In 2009, he became more involved with Block Entertainment's recording studio and collaborated with American rapper T.I. to release the single 'Krazy', which provided him further exposure.

His first EP, titled 'I Am Jacquees' was initially released in 2009, but it was his next release that brought him recognition. His first mixtape, 'Round of Applause', for which he had a dedicated team behind him, was released on August 11, 2011.

One year later, on August 29, 2012, he released his second mixtape called 'Fan Affiliated'. It took him almost another year to release his next mixtape, 'Quemix', which came out on May 1, 2013.

The release of his second EP, titled '19', established him as the next star in the music industry. In the EP, he has worked with top artists like Chris Brown, Rich Homie Quan, Lloyd and Trinidad James. He has also worked with rapper Birdman on the mixtape 'Lost at Sea'.